Piedra Falls Southern Colorado Hike Guide
Piedra Falls is a short out and back hike located outside of Pagosa Springs, Colorado. This hike is under 2 miles long, but provides spectacular views of a series of waterfalls. Even though the trailhead is about an hour from Pagosa Springs, the hike to the waterfalls can get very crowded. This is a family friendly hike, suitable for dogs and a great spot for hikers of all levels.
Piedra Falls Quick Facts
Piedra Falls Rating: ★★★★ (4/5 Stars)
Distance: 1.15 miles RT
Elevation Start: 7,924 ft
Highest Point: 8,031 ft
Total Elevation Gain: 144 ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 30 Minutes to 1 Hour RT
Difficulty: Walk In The Park What does this mean?
Class: Class 1
Season: July – October (Expect snow outside of this period)
Directions to Piedra Falls
Trailhead: Piedra Falls
Getting Here: First, navigate towards Pagosa Springs. Next, find your way to Piedra Road. Stay on Piedra Road for 15.7 miles. It will turn to dirt along the way but still is fine to drive with any car. After 15.7 miles, turn right onto Taylor Lane. Take an immediate left on to Forest Road 636. Continue for 1.7 miles until you reach Forest Road 636. Follow 636 until it ends, about 7.5 additional miles. You can enter Piedra Falls trailhead into your favorite navigational device. Beware though, you will lose service along the way.
Fees: None
Parking: The TH has a medium sized lot that can fit 10-20 cars. This lot can get busy on weekends and does not have bathrooms of any sort.
Summary
Camping: There are a ton of options for camping near Piedra Falls. At the trailhead itself, there is room for 3-4 groups to camp separate from one another. In addition, the road leading to the trailhead has a ton of dispersed camping options.
Dogs: The hike to the waterfalls is dog friendly and a nice little walk for any dog. Keep in mind this spot can get crowded though, so use your best judgement when it comes to your dog and others on the trail.
Make it a Loop: This is an out and back hike, but there are a ton of other hiking options in the area, including the Piedra Ice Caves/Fissures trail.
Trail X Factors: Flow of Falls Throughout Season
Unlike many waterfalls in Colorado, Piedra Falls does not seem to rely on snowmelt to keep it raging. We visited Piedra Falls on the last weekend of September in a very dry season and still experienced a tremendous flow.
Hike Tip(s): If you want a more secluded hiking experience, head to the falls early on the weekend. We arrived to the trailhead around 8AM on a Saturday in the fall and had the waterfall all to ourselves. After we enjoyed the falls for a couple of minutes, we were joined shortly after by several other groups.
Best Views: The best (and really only) views on the hike to Piedra Falls are at the waterfalls themselves. In terms of photo options, I like the middle rocks for long exposure and the right side for group selfies. We hiked to Piedra Falls in the late fall and they were still raging which leads me to believe they do not rely on snow to flow.
Piedra Falls Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Mickey’s Mountain Kit
- Comfortable Walking Shoes – hiking shoes recommended if you plan on scrambling on rocks at falls
- Optional: Camera
- Optional: Tripod
- Optional: Camera Filters
Our Trip to Piedra Falls: September 2018
The hike to Piedra Falls was very uneventful since it was only 1.15 miles RT. However, I will say that we visited in late September and the falls were still raging so I don’t think they rely on snow melt to keep them flowing.
